(CNN) – Speaking in Kiev, Sen. John McCain called Saturday for the United States to provide long-term military assistance to Ukraine, saying it is "the right and decent thing to do," as reports surfaced that Russian troops had traveled farther north into Ukraine from Crimea.

McCain was part of a bipartisan delegation of U.S. senators who traveled to Kiev ahead of Sunday's secession referendum in Crimea. The White House and U.S. allies in Europe have denounced the referendum as unconstitutional and illegal because Russian troops have essentially taken over the southern Ukraine peninsula.

McCain also had strong words for President Barack Obama in an op-ed appearing in The New York Times. He called for the President to take actions to restore the United States' credibility and strength around the world.FULL POST

Washington (CNN) - A Senate proponent of new gun control measures said Tuesday the National Rifle Association is not the political force it once was and members of Congress should think about that as they consider whether to support restrictions on firearms.

"The reality is that in order to pass this legislation we do have to convince members of Congress that there is not a political price to pay for going against the NRA," Sen. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat told reporters during a conference call.FULL POST

(CNN) - Legislators from around the country rose to the microphone in the House and Senate Monday with heavy hearts in the wake of the Connecticut elementary school shooting that left 20 young students and six adults dead.

Both sides of the capitol observed a moment of silence and members from around the country offered tributes.FULL POST

(CNN) – A new poll in the race to fill the Connecticut U.S. Senate seat being vacated by independent Sen. Joe Lieberman shows the party frontrunners increasing their leads since the last survey in March.

Democrat Rep. Chris Murphy has grown his lead from 12 points to 30 over Susan Bysiewicz, the Quinnipiac University poll found, while Republican Linda McMahon is now ahead of former Rep. Chris Shays by 29 points. She had a nine point advantage over Shays in the previous Quinnipiac survey, released March 22.FULL POST

Washington (CNN) – Democratic Rep. Chris Murphy holds an early 11-point lead in a new poll over Republican Linda McMahon, a former WWE executive, in the race to fill Connecticut Sen. Joe Liebermann’s vacated seat in 2012.

The new Quinnipiac survey shows Murphy leading McMahon, who has not yet officially declared her candidacy, 49 percent to 38 percent in the hypothetical race. Though Murphy also leads former Connecticut Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz 36 percent to 26 percent in the Democratic primary, Bysiewicz leads McMahon in the general election 46 percent to 38 percent.FULL POST